Industry News

Tech jobs can be found in cities big and small

The strength of the U.S. economy, the growth of cloud computing and the need for effective cybersecurity has created a prime employment market for those in the IT field. Chief executives across the country are adapting their business models to keep pace with the evolution of the digital workplace. And during this period of transition, they are filling knowledge gaps and assigning functional responsibilities to tech engineers and IT managers.

The vast majority of market researchers expect the cloud sector to reach even greater heights over the next decade. Greater awareness and development of cybersecurity measures could help turn this projection into a reality. Yet even at this juncture, plenty of IT jobs with good pay are available in cities both big and small.

The strong tech scene in St. Louis
According to the St. Louis Business Journal, Silicon Valley (including San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley) led all regions in the country in 2014 with an average tech salary of $112,600, which marks a 3.7 percent upswing compared to the previous year. After that is Seattle at $99,400, Washington D.C. at $98,300, and Boston at $97,300. However, not too far behind the leaders is St. Louis. And while the city isn't known for its tech scene, the industry is picking up there and paying the average worker $93,800 per year.

This healthy salary could pay extra dividends in St. Louis, where the standard cost of living is 5.6 percent below the national average, Forbes noted.

"Cloud is not new to the tech world, but as more companies — large and small — adopt the technology, tech professionals with this experience will enjoy opportunities," Shravan Goli, president of Dice, told the publication. "Big Data made a big showing last year and we're seeing it this year too."

Small city in Arkansas welcomes three tech companies
Metova Inc., a mobile app developer, Eyenalyze, a software developer for the foodservice sector, and Big Cloud Analytics will add office facilities in downtown Conway, Arkansas, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. The three tech companies will spend a total of $2.5 million and create 140 new jobs, many of which will involve IT work.

"The thing I'm most excited about is when you look at the other two companies you're hearing from today, we have the opportunity to create a network effect," Bryan Throckmorton, chief revenue officer for Big Cloud Analytics, told the news outlet. "This is going to make it even more enticing for other companies to come [to Conway]."